November EFAP News: Mindful Eating During the Holidays

The holidays are a great time for getting together with family and friends. Many holiday traditions revolve around eating, which can result in people overindulging during the holiday season. Practicing mindful eating during the holidays will help you to savor all the delicious food without overindulging, or feeling guilty.

Below are a few tips for practicing mindful eating:

Before eating, check in with your body to determine if you are really hungry. Often times we eat for emotional reasons rather than for biological reasons.

Take a couple of slow, deep breaths before starting your meal. This will help slow you down and draw your focus to your meal.

Before you take your first bite, notice your food. What does it look and smell like? Part of truly enjoying food is noticing its appearance and smell in addition to its taste.

Slow down your speed of eating. Often times we eat so fast, our brains do not have time to signal to us that we are full. Try putting down your fork or spoon between each bite.

Chew your food well. Many people eat so fast that they barely chew their food enough to break it down. This puts a lot of unnecessary pressure on the rest of the digestive system which can result in digestive problems and bloating.

This month be sure to register and attend the webinar, “Family and Personal Budgeting.” Learn more about setting financial goals and setting priorities for you and your family. A full description and registration information is listed in the sidebar to the right. If you’re unable to attend you can log on to the website at a later time to view the archived presentation.

MONTHLY WEBINAR

Wednesday, November 28thFamily and Personal Budgeting

This workshop will help you examine your views on money and money management, review financial goals for yourself and your family and learn to set spending priorities accordingly. You will also assess your “money personality” in order to help control unnecessary spending, put away more for savings and establish positive budgeting habits that will last a lifetime.

– Or – click on “Upcoming Webinars” from the homepage of the website and follow the easy instructions

e4health administers the College’s EFAP program. To access their comprehensive web site, with many tools and articles, go to the e4health web site.
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